HTC
HTC U Ultra: between successes and disappointments
Aprox. 280€ - see price -
See specificationsHTC is returning to the forefront of the smartphone market with a new series of terminals. The lineage of One, which was still found with the HTC 10, has disappeared definitively. The U Ultra brings a breath of fresh air to the Taiwanese range, but can that be enough to bring to the fore a company that has been in bad shape for a few years?
Our review
Presentation
The HTC U Ultra is the largest of the tow spearheads. Its 5.7-inch 5 WQHD Super LCD screen (2560 x 1440 px) is somewhat new. This large main screen is accompanied by a smaller display of 2.05 "diagonal, for a definition of 160 x 1040 px, allowing to display shortcuts and other notifications. The entrails of the beast contain a SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 to 4 Kryo cores (2.15 GHz ), 4 GB of RAM and an Adreno 530 iGPU. The internal memory has 64 GB and can be extended by adding a microSD card.
For capturing photos, there is a 12 Mpx Ultra Pixel sensor on the back supported by a stabilized lens opening at f / 1.8, a phase detection focus or a dual-LED flash. At the front, HTC chose a 16 MP sensor, surmounted by an optic not stabilized in f / 2 aperture. Connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and 4G LTE. The power supply for the assembly is supplied by a 3000 mAh battery, compatible with Quick Charge 3.0 technology.
For this HTC U Ultra, you will be asked € 799.
Ergonomics and design
Change of course at HTC. No more compact smartphones, make way for large sizes. The U Ultra thus lives up to its name and sports generous dimensions. In good self-respecting high-end terminal, the smartphone still benefits from exemplary finishes. The design that is introduced here, however, may not appeal to everyone.
The back of the device is made of glass, called "innovative crystal surface with elegant contours" by HTC. This slightly curved back on the edges is the most beautiful effect out of the box, with the changing color reflections depending on the light. However, after a few tens of minutes of manipulation, this back turns into a real fingerprint database. The visual effect is no longer quite the same. In hand, the shape of the U Ultra is pleasant and fits the palm correctly. On the other hand, we were many to feel our hands becoming sweaty on contact with this glass, however innovative it may be.
With such a large screen, optimizing space becomes essential. HTC has failed to contain the dimensions of its U Ultra, whose screen occupies only 69% of the front panel. The edges are quite wide, especially the bottom edge, which really gives the impression of losing space. You can't expect to fully enjoy your smartphone with one hand here. A problem that is also encountered when using the volume buttons, placed a little high on the right edge to be reached by the thumb. The lock button is much better positioned.
The U Ultra can withstand the pressure of heavy use quite badly and is showing signs of a rise in temperature. We recorded more than 43.3 ° C on a limited portion of the rear face and up to 39 ° C at the front, the screen remaining on average close to 32 ° C.
Screen
HTC has decided to go to the big screens with this U Ultra. Here, a 5.7 inch Super LCD 5 panel is used. The WQHD definition (2560 x 1440 px) delivers a resolution of 513 ppi which offers a very fine display. The contrast ratio remains one of the only faults on this side. We measured it at 1256: 1, just fine for LCD, but far from the results obtained by Oled tiles. The maximum brightness of 463 cd / m² allows correct readability in direct sunlight, although the rate of light reflection could have been lower (14%).
The colorimetry requires some adjustments to become very good. Once the color temperature slider is moved to "warm", we obtain a delta E at 3 and an average temperature at 6443 K. Almost perfect values which place the U Ultra among the best students.
Responsiveness is quite good overall. We noted a tactile delay of 76 ms, below the average of our comparison (87 ms) and a correct remanence for the LCD (16 ms).
You can find a more detailed account of the U Ultra screen in the dedicated article.
Interface and navigation
HTC has based its U Ultra on Android 7.0 Nougat, on top of which the Taiwanese house overlay is applied. If the interface is somewhat modified graphically compared to the Google OS, the navigation logic of the smartphone remains close. We find the classics like the application menu, the panel mixing shortcuts and notifications, as well as a rather classic list of parameters.
The big news for HTC is the implementation of this additional screen which brings a new way of interacting with the smartphone. On this screen are grouped shortcuts to favorite contacts, certain applications of our choice, the weather or even incoming notifications. You can navigate between these different panels by sliding your finger on the small screen, whether the main screen is on or not. When the latter is off, you can choose to display the time there permanently, such as Always-On mode at Samsung, for example. In use, we get used to the presence of this secondary screen and, after a period of adaptation where we force ourselves to request it, we quickly find ourselves using it more regularly.
The HTC U Ultra remains perfectly fluid in all circumstances. It must be said that it is well helped by its SoC Snapdragon 821 and its 4 GB of RAM. Nothing is to blame on this side.
Multimedia
The behavior of the U Ultra in video is exemplary. Its large screen is perfect for reading series and even movies, and the integrated player easily decodes the vast majority of common formats.
Not only does it not have a jack, the HTC U Ultra is also supplied without an adapter - in these circumstances, it is impossible for us to apply our usual test protocols. HTC absolutely does not seem to consider that we may wish to use this phone other than with its famous USound headphones. These highlight their automatic calibration functionality: a short pink noise is sent into each ear, then transplanted by a microphone present within the earphones. This feedback is then analyzed by the telephone, which deduces an "ideal" equalization curve, adapted to the morphology of the user. The result is unfortunately not very convincing: it does not calm the very marked V-shaped frequency signature of the headphones (reinforcement of the bass and treble), which will certainly not only make people happy. Note also that the intrinsic quality of the headphones is very arbitrary: not very powerful, they offer a relatively clean sound reproduction, but not very precise, and a fairly narrow stereo image.
No more success on the side of the speakers, whose sound is unnatural and has an imbalance too marked towards the treble. Two modes of restitution are offered by the telephone, "music" and "cinema" - we advise you to carefully avoid the second, which only aggravates all these faults.
The Adreno 530 graphics chip is generally an ally of choice for lovers of mobile games. With this HTC smartphone, they will be served, the latter rotating any title from the Play Store perfectly smoothly. From casual games to more demanding 3D titles, the U Ultra turns out to be a high-performance portable console.
Photo
HTC offers here a 12 MP Ultrapixel sensor for taking photos. When there is enough light, the U Ultra does a good job overall. It manages to capture a quantity of details comparable to that of a Galaxy S7 edge and produces photographs of good quality. The dynamics are excellent, but the colors are not the most faithful, the HTC smartphone having a tendency to saturation a little too marked. The little disappointment comes from a slight lack of responsiveness, not for focusing, but for capturing photos. Latency is felt when recording, leaving the U Ultra behind cadors like the Galaxy S7 edge or the LG G5.
In low light, the picture is more mixed. On the one hand, the HTC U Ultra manages to capture a good amount of light, but it does so at the cost of a fairly marked loss of detail. In question, a treatment that smooths a lot and puts a more pronounced emphasis on contrasts. We thus end up with clearly visible forms, but poor in small details that have disappeared. Fortunately, there is no loss of reactivity under these conditions.
Recording videos with the U Ultra can be done up to a UHD definition. As almost every time, the rendering remains much more satisfactory in Full HD, the micro-slowdowns fading and the image quality does not decrease in the end not that much. The exposure measurements and monitoring of the development are for their part of good quality.
Transform its heavy library with printed paving stones of a thousand characters into a few megabytes transported in a device of a hundred ...
The 16 MP front sensor also does a good job. Like many of its competitors, the U Ultra applies to self-portraits a smoothing that we find too far, making lose the interest of the number of pixels present. However, it still ranks among the best students in the category, with a special mention for its behavior in low light conditions.
Autonomy
Let's say it right away, autonomy is the main weakness of the U Ultra. With his 3000 mAh battery, we expected better than the 10h20 he achieved on our viSer test protocol. This places him more than 5 hours behind a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge or even 3 hours 30 minutes behind a OnePlus 3T. A lack of endurance that is found on our video playback test on Netflix, with 8:41 of our favorite series. In practice, the HTC smartphone will be able to follow you in standard use for a little less than a day and a half. More relentless users will have to go through the recharge box before the end of the evening.
However, it takes just under an hour and a half for a full recharge of the smartphone.
Conclusion
HTC arrives in 2017 with a smartphone far from being devoid of interest. However, the U Ultra has a lot of small flaws that prevent it from actually playing spoilers in the hierarchy of the current smartphone market, not to mention the generation expected this year which should relegate this terminal to a secondary role.
Specifications
Reviews
International Version
Please be aware that these sellers are selling the international version of this phone though not stated in the description. Therefore, it will not support wifi calling. Otherwise, a great phone.
Best phone for the price!
This phone is amazing for $ 181.99. While this is a European model it came with an adapter for the US. Phone came brand new. I was hesitant to see if if I was able to get data or not on T-Mobile but it worked perfectly. I live in the Los Angeles area and I was able to get 4G LTE here. Data and calling works perfectly. This phone is a beautiful phone. For the price you get an amazing build. The back is so beautiful with that shiny glass blue back.
The screen is also beautiful. It has a 5.7in 2K display. While its still at the 16: 9 aspect ratio I still prefer that instead for video purposes. Colors are vibrant and it gets plenty bright. It's not an AMOLED display but for the price I'm not complaining. The also has a second display on the top like the LG V20 which is used for shortcuts and notifications. I used the V20 before so this phone was an easy transition for me. Battery life is pretty good. I'm able to easily get a full day with 30-40% left to spare. My day usually consist of calls, text, instagram, facebook, youtube, feedly, amazon, ebay, and some gaming here and there.
There is a fingerprint in the front which is usually my prefer placement to have it. I felt like they could of stuck a bigger battery on this phone despite how big the phone is. I also wish they had wireless charging too. Since it has a glass back then it's definitely capable of using wireless charging. In the beginning this phone was priced at $ 749 which I thought was expensive but now I feel like this is a good time to buy it. I got the update to android 8.0. Whether it gets android 9.0 or not is beyond me. You get some goodies in the box. It comes with the USB C Cable, USB Headphones, Wall Charger with US Adapter, and a clear case.
The camera on this phone is great. It was a 16MP rear facing camera with laser autofocus. It also has a 12MP front facing camera with image stabilization. The result of the pictures is excellent. If you are looking for a budget phone with amazing camera then this is the phone to get. Sadly it doesn't have 60fps for video but can't have everything. Speakers are great on this phone. It has stereo speakers. It gets pretty loud but starts to get a little distorted at high volumes. It's better than most phones in this price point. In my opinion having stereo speakers is pretty damn amazing. I do missing HTC old boomsound setup where it had dual front facing speakers. This phone has one top speaker and a bottom speaker.
Overall this is a great phone even in 2018. It doesn't have the cutting edge specs like phones today but it still holds it on for the price. 4GB Ram, 64GB storage, and Snapdragon 821. You get a lot of features from this phone. It's a beautiful phone in general. It might be too big for some people because of the size. Camera is amazing even though its over a year old. The speed of this phone is still as fast as phones today. This phone will blow any phone around the $ 200-400 range out of the waters. You won't be disappointed in this phone. I feel like this phone and HTC deserves a lot more credit. This phone has received a lot of hate and negative reviews for having wasted space but it's more of a preference thing. I like big phones and I like the LG V20. This phone is like the V20 for me. I love this phone enough where I bought a second one as a gift.
Great camera, but phone is awful
I've had this phone over a month now. I love the camera on it. But, I have now found out that my coverage has gone way down and the wifi goes in and out. I found out I have missed many calls and text messages. Switched back to my old phone and everything works fine again. Very disappointed!
Sound, Camera, screen are the seller.
This is the European variant however works perfectly on ATT. Probably limited data connections on tmobile.
It looks like the phone is stuck on android oreo with its stock firmware and its hardware is decent for this generation. For the price, it offers a whole lot more than other products do for its budget.
My package did come with a European electrical adapter but it kinda sucks so i'd recomend getting a new usb type c charger for the USA
If your a budget seeker, this is probably a good choice. Its considered a phablet so be prepared for its massive "Note" like size.
Amazing phone!
I bought this phone on a whim. I have always loved HTC phones for their performance, but being so cheap in price, I was a little nervous. I have been using this phone all day and I cannot express how much I love this phone! The second screen is the coolest thing, the phone itself is beautiful, and the internal workings make a powerful machine! This is by far the most beautiful phone I have ever held, and outperformed anything with less than an $ 800 price tag.
Good Value, Performance, and Looks
This phone is an incredible value, selling for several hundred dollars less than the latest model, but still offering popular features in a good looking package. I've had several HTCs over the years and enjoyed them, and was open to purchasing an older model at a savings after my last phone had a bad fall without a case.
Since I've had an HTC previously, this phone was very familiar feeling and easy to use. The screen quality is excellent, the screen size is enormous, and it remains that way even with a menu bar of sorts that runs along the top (you can use this space to set up personalized shortcuts, like frequently used apps, calendar reminders, or the weather). The phone case looks nice and comes with a clear protector so you can see the phone. However, I previously broke a similar case, so I use a separate, rubber case now, along with a screen protector.
The camera takes quality photos, and the phone works well with the Google Suite and Android Apps. Be aware, you are buying an unlocked international phone. This means the phone comes free of lots of the so-called "bloatware" that often comes when you buy a phone from your service provider - all those apps you don't want that take up valuable space. It also means you'll need to adjust some of the settings, but I found that time well worth the savings. The phone does not have a traditional headphone jack, just like some of the other HTC phones, but it comes with headphones that fit the phone port. It also has an international plug for charging, and an adapter of sorts for US outlets.
Like other HTCs I've had, this is a good looking phone with good battery life. The phone has many battery saving functions to help you get anywhere from one day to multiple days out of the battery, but I do think the HTC One battery had more capacity in comparison, so I gave this battery 4 stars. If you play a lot of audio books, you'll get about a day of battery. If you keep your data and internet use, you can go for much longer. Also, if you use the HTC charger, the phone charges back up very quickly.
Aside from good but not as good battery life, I also give this phone 4 stars because of the finger print sensor. This sensor is much more finicky than my prior HTCs and often makes me use my passcode. I find the sensor needs to be cleaned regularly on this phone to recognize my fingerprint without delay.
The visual first impression is nothing short of amazing
The visual first impression is nothing short of amazing. Camara is awesome, battery was way better than expected and screen is one of the best I have ever seen (and I have a U11 mind you) At a price of 300-400 like I purchased it, it's an amazing buy if you like big phones. Usonoc headphones are marvelous.